Amazon buys Twitch for $970 million

Following earlier rumors that Google was prepared to pay US$1 billion for Twitch, Amazon has apparently swooped in and picked up the livestreaming video network for a mere US$970 million. According to sources at forbes.com Google was unable to close the deal because it was concerned about potential antitrust issues that could have come with the acquisition.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos released a statement regarding the purchase:

"Like Twitch, we obsess over customers and like to think differently, and we look forward to learning from them and helping them move even faster to build new services for the gaming community.”

Twitch CEO, Emmett Shear, also released his own statement, thanking the Twitch community for believing in his company and detailing why he and his executive team chose Amazon (presumably over Google):

"We chose Amazon because they believe in our community, they share our values and long-term vision, and they want to help us get there faster. We're keeping most everything the same: our office, our employees, our brand, and most importantly our independence. But with Amazon's support we'll have the resources to bring you an even better Twitch."

Twitch, which was launched in 2011 by Justin.tv co-founders Justin Kan and Emmett Shear, is the Internet's premier service for livestreaming gameplay sessions and eSports. According to Twitch, the service has more than 50 million active users. Both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One allow users to broadcast gameplay directly to Twitch and other sites, and Twitch users can watch video and chat with others on the web and through apps on a bevy of platforms.